It's Santa 24/7

By Kandy Derden Managing Editor

What does Santa Claus eat besides cookies? According to one television commercial, he likes cheese. Rumor has it he also appreciates a good sandwich. A snack for the reindeer is always welcome too.

However, have you ever given any thought to what might be the menu of choice for Santa during the other 364 days of the year? Not being the bashful type, I asked him.

Wait, how is this possible? No, I didn’t go to the North Pole. I didn’t have to because I already have the recipe for ice cubes. You see, Santa keeps busy year-round. His life is more than just handing out presents one day a year. He also spends time in the background, often unnoticed but assisting those in need wherever or whenever possible.

I first met Tim Culver while we were both working as volunteers with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. It didn’t take long to figure out why most everyone called him Santa. Even without being in costume, he has ‘the look’.

Evidently, other people see it too. In 1988, Tim was asked by his local library to be Santa for a Storytime event. That’s all it took, or as Tim put it, “I was hooked as soon as I put on that red coat; think Tim Allen in the Santa Clause.”

“My favorite part is the kids (or making adults feel like they are kids) and nobody has more fun than me during Christmas. Additionally, I get the chance to share the real meaning of Christmas more than 50 times each year.” This will be his 36th year. Who better to spread the gospel than a man who embodies the spirit of giving?

Of course, just as in the movie, wearing the suit comes with some responsibilities and surprises. “I thought the toughest part was the schedule,” stated Tim, “as we often have 10-12 hour days. Or maybe that we often are unable to accommodate a family party. However, the toughest part is hearing a request to ‘make gramma better’ or ‘bring my daddy back’ or ‘all I want for Christmas is socks, undies, and pajamas’ instead of toys.”

Naturally, there are perks also. “For many years I have gotten an ‘SC’ (Santa Claus) discount from multiple places throughout the year,” he explained. “I thought this was really pretty cool - until I found out that SC stood for Senior Citizen.” Perhaps the costume, or lack thereof at the time should have been a clue.

Speaking of the traditional Santa suit, it just might not be what you would expect. “My clothes were designed to live in; they are machine washable, comfy to wear and stain resistant. I wear commercially made boots with fur. My coat has snaps for easy on and off when I enter a building and a regular fur-trimmed hat with a ‘snowball’ on top.”

Santa also has a hairdresser who insists he have a neat well-groomed beard. If you do the math, you will notice Tim began his Santa journey while in his thirties when his hair was not yet silvery-white. For a few years, he needed to have it bleached in order to truly be a convincing Santa. Apparently, he fit the expected image very well because he was offered his first ‘SC’ discount at the age of 38. It might come as a surprise to discover the beard is not present year-round. Tim starts growing his Santa beard each year in March. Then he shaves it off after Christmas so he looks professional for tax season.

Yes, Santa has more than one job. In addition to spending the holidays as Santa, Tim is a tax preparer starting in January until tax season is over. Then he volunteers with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief until time to begin preparing for Santa season again. What does Tim’s story have to do with a food magazine? I’m glad you asked. Tim has long been involved in feeding people.

“I am the oldest of eight siblings so by the time I was ten, there were four of us in the kitchen doing most of the day-to-day meal prep. Mom taught me to cook by taste, so early on I knew what created what flavor and the things that work together. She taught that all recipes were good, but few were great. So, find a good recipe and make it better again and again until you just can’t find a way to improve it.”

Tim has made good use of that advice in many ways. “I volunteered for many years cooking at a soup kitchen where we served about 200 people per meal. I still work at two food distributions each month, Disaster Relief permitting.”

And just what does he do in connection with Disaster Relief? “I have taken every training available to me,” said Tim. This includes flood recovery, chainsaw operation and tree removal, plus mass care feeding, just to name a few.

“My first experience as head cook for Disaster Relief was in 2017 for Hurricane Harvey in Beaumont, TX. I was the lead on a mass feeding team that put out about 9,000 meals a day, but I normally run the volunteer kitchen for feeding 25-100 Disaster Relief volunteers.” I have no doubt with his experience, he’s well qualified.

Tim’s service doesn’t end there. He is involved in multiple ministries, currently by teaching Sunday School part time. Prior ministries for Tim and his wife Wendy (also known as Anya Claus) include five years as music evangelists. Tim has preached revivals and directed Vacation Bible Schools. He has also done some clowning, been a camp counselor and a cook at youth camps.

Maybe you’ve seen him in one of the above locations. As he puts it, “I can’t go anywhere. I have been caught in the grocery store, hardware and restaurants. I was caught on the beach in June in Florida by a family from Illinois. A few weeks ago, we went out to eat for my birthday and spent half-an-hour talking to adults that have dozens of pics with me with their kids and grandkids.”

It doesn’t stop there. “We had a local minor league baseball team which had a ‘Christmas in July’ event as a fundraiser for CASA and other charities. I was given the privilege of throwing the first pitch.”

Yes indeed, Santa is quite a popular fellow. Even more so, he is loved by many. What is the best way to express love for others? Answers vary greatly on this question. One thing is for certain, the most widely accepted and understood method is through food. In this case Tim, otherwise known as Santa, is known for two specialties. He has shared both recipes with us. One is Salisbury Steak and the other is Lasagna like no other.

This brings us right back to the first topic of this story. What does Santa eat besides cookies? He explains it this way, “There are three food groups: cookies, milk and all that other stuff. Sandwiches fit into that third group; I love a good gyro or patty melt. I’m not much on spicy food but I love a good chicken sandwich.”

When asked if anyone leaves cheese, he replied, “Oh yes! For several years in a row, I received more cheese than cookies.” Naturally, this led me to the inevitable question: do you like cookies? His reply still makes me smile. He answered, “I’ve got a whole mouth full of sweet teeth!”

That was easy. Now on to the hard question: What is your favorite cookie? Apparently, this is a much harder question because I had to ask several times. I even had to go to a higher power, his wife, Anya Claus. The list of favorites is unending because she simply repeated his original answer,

“I’ve never met a cookie I didn’t like.”

LASAGNA LIKE NO OTHER

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

2 lbs. ground beef

12 oz. can tomato paste

29 oz. can tomato sauce

1 tbsp. sugar

1/3 c. Italian Seasoning

1/3 c. basil

2 tbsp. fresh garlic

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese ¼ c. grated Parmesan

Directions:

Prepare noodles per package instructions. Prepare beef mixture by browning the ground beef with oion and garlic. DO NOT DRAIN

Add Italian seasoning and basil, combine with beef and cook 2 minutes

Add sugar – stir to combine. Add tomato paste - turn off heat – combine thoroughly - set aside

Pour ½ of tomato sauce into 13 x 9 baking dish to coat bottom

Assemble lasagna. Layer 4 cooked noodles in dish

Layer ½ beef mixture on noodles

Layer generous amount of mozzarella on meat mixture

Repeat noodles, meat, and cheese. Place last 4 noodles on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes until bubbly around edges

Allow to cool 15 minutes. Slice and serve

Serve with salad and bread if desired

Submitted by Tim Culver AKA “Santa Clause”